“Biggie…”
“Nah, don’t say nothin’. I already know.” He winced as he spoke, but he kept going. “I’m out the game, mama. I’m gonna talk to Demo as soon as I’m out of here. It’s over. This shit ain’t worth it no more.”
Tuesday allowed her tears to fall as she bent her head, touching her forehead to his fingers. When she finally composed herself, she lifted up.
“Thank you. Wallis needs you.”
Biggie’s ring finger caressed her hand.
“What about Wallis’s mama?”
Tuesday looked off to the side. “She needs you too. I was so scared, Biggie. I was worried I wouldn’t be able to tell you how I feel—”She choked on her words, and he squeezed her hand.
“How do you feel?”
She looked up at him.
“I know that I love you.” The words tumbled out of her mouth faster than she could grab them. “But I also know I don’t know you very well, so that scares me. I want to get to know you and see if love finds both of us. We have a son…it feels right to try to make something work between us. I was too scared to say that before because I didn’t know if I would end up getting hurt, but I don’t want to live with any regrets. If you feel the same way, I want to see what happens between us.”
Biggie stared at her for a long time. He looked sleepy, and she felt bad for dumping all this on him now, but she knew shewouldn’t be able to rest tonight if she kept her feelings in any longer.
“As far as I’m concerned, you’re mine, Tuesday. We go together real bad.”
She giggled. Even now he was trying to crack jokes. She shook her head sadly and peered into his tired eyes.
“I can’t be yours until you’re officially out the game, Biggie. I care about you, our son, and myself way too much to move forward without you tying up those loose ends.”
Biggie’s jaw clenched, but he nodded slowly.
“I got you. Go get our son and go home. Rest up tonight and come back to see me tomorrow.”
Tuesday’s brows knitted together at his sudden dismissal, but she realized he was probably in pain, tired, and felt like he had a lot of tough decisions to make. Since she laid eyes on him and heard his voice, she could breathe a little easier, so she would grant him his wishes.
Standing, she leaned down and kissed him. It was a simple and quick kiss, but something passed between them in that moment, and Tuesday felt chills take over her body. She caressed his cheek.
“Stay strong, okay? I don’t want Wallis to see you laid up like this, so I need you to get better quickly so he can see his daddy again.”
Biggie nodded; his face solemn but determined.
Turning to walk away, he called out to her. “Tuesday?” She faced him. “I love you too, mama.”
She smiled; her heart fluttered, as she swiped at her tears.
“I’ll be here first thing tomorrow.”
He gave her the thumbs up, watching her walk out of his hospital room before exhaustion from the medication and anesthesia took over.
TWELVE
After an entire tendays in the hospital, Biggie was happy as hell to be released. The pain he had experienced was something out of this world, but he thugged it out as best he could. He knew the nurses were ready for him to leave. He had been raising hell and trying to force his healing, which only set him back more. Luckily for them, though, they didn’t have to worry about him anymore. Even though he was still in pain, it was no longer touch and go for him, and he could go home and heal comfortably.
“You ready to get out of here, homie?” Demo asked as he entered the room being loud.
Biggie had just finished dressing in the regular clothes Tuesday brought for him the night before. The shit took him thirty minutes, but he did it, and he did it alone, despite the nurse’s fussing at him.
“Fasho.”
“Let’s get the hell out of here.” He looked around the empty room. “You don’t have to check out or somethin’ like that?”
